According to Aksenov, five people were rescued after the strike, three of which were injured, but search and rescue efforts for the remaining workers are ongoing.
Two Ukrainian drilling platforms, the “Petro Godovanets” and “Ukraina” were seized by Russian troops in March 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea. The platforms are used not only for drilling but also for reconnaissance, and in 2015 they were moved to the Halitsynske gas field, which lies 130 kilometers (80 miles) away from the Ukrainian city of Odesa.